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Effect of hearing impairment in society essay
Effect of hearing impairment in society essay
Negative impact of being deaf
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Hearing loss has a significant impact on a person’ s quality of life. The social, psychological, and physical consequences of hearing loss can take a major toll on a person’s mental and physical health.
People of all ages are affected by hearing loss. It’s one of the most common chronic conditions in the U.S., affecting over nine millions Americans over 65 and 10 million Americans between 45 to 64.
Unfortunately, many people who realize their hearing has deteriorated are hesitant to seek help. Only about 16 percent of adults 20 to 69 who would benefit from hearing aids have ever used them. Why?
They may be embarrassed about their hearing loss, seeing it as a sign of weakness. Even with advances in technology, the stigma associated with
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How so? For one, people who can’t hear well aren’t as aware of their surroundings. Hearing loss also imposes a cognitive load, meaning the brain becomes overwhelmed with demands on its limited resources. When the brain needs to compensate for hearing loss, balance and gait are negatively affected. Even a mild degree of hearing loss triples the risk of accidental falls.
Anxiety and Depression
Hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of depression in adults of all ages; those between the ages of 18 and 69 with hearing loss are significantly more at risk of moderate to severe depression.
A growing body of research points to the link between hearing loss and mental health. Older adults with untreated hearing loss are 57 percent more likely to experience severe stress and depression than their peers with normal hearing, according to a John Hopkins study.
Those suffering from hearing-related anxiety often feel paranoid that others are angry with them and are embarrassed in social situations. The use of hearing aids, however, increases self-confidence and improves mental health.
Strained
Like I said before I was unaware deaf experienced audism. By educating others they will be more aware of this ongoing issue resulting in preventing audism from occurring. Another way to reduce audism is to spread the word to friends and family. Explain to them about this issue and have them spread the word as well. Lastly, if you see someone being an audist, kindly ask them to stop as well as explain to them about the damage they may inflicted on someone. This will be a learning experience for you as well as the other person
In support of Gallaudet University's, “Deaf President Now!” protest, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson once said “The problem is not that the deaf do not hear. The problem is that the hearing world does not listen.” (Lee) This concept been seen throughout Deaf history; Today it is especially noticeable now that technology has been developed to restore some hearing to many who are deaf. However these seemingly miraculous devices such as hearing aids and cochlear implants (CI) are a gilding for the real problem. CI’s in particular are thought to be a miracle cure for deafness, this misconception causes a great friction between Deaf and hearing culture. Deaf people should not be expected to get CI’s to “cure” their deafness for three primary reasons: CI’s promise more than they can deliver, they are an affront to Deaf culture, and ASL is a more effective way to insure development.
Deaf people are not dumb since the Greek period Deaf were thought to be dumb. Even after all the events in history 350 years ago, the Deaf are still misunderstood. There is no time like the present and future. The hearing world needs change their perception. Three hundred fifty years ago Europeans understood the Deaf could learn and express their intelligence (MacDougal). Deaf people have come a long way in history from that many years ago to now, because even being pushed around for so long they still proudly stand tall with their lack of
This is causing audiologists in the future to pursue careers in research, military audiology, and academia, instead of private practice. However, since hearing loss is associated with aging, individuals continually demand services from audiologists. Also, members of the baby boomer generation are all now seeking services from audiologists. It is projected that the profession of audiology is to grow approximately 37% within the next few years, and the field is to continue expanding.
A hearing loss can present many obstacles in one's life. I have faced many issues throughout my life, many of which affected me deeply. When I first realized that I was hearing-impaired, I didn't know what it meant. As I grew older, I came to understand why I was different from everyone. It was hard to like myself or feel good about myself because I was often teased. However, I started to change my attitude and see that wearing hearing aids was no different than people wearing glasses to see.
Many people of society perceive deafness to be a disability a person has at which causes them to lack the power of hearing. Many of the people whom choose to believe that those who are deaf are disabled rather than possess a simple difference amongst them have most likely never had the chance to learn about deaf culture. Only about two or three out of every thousand children are born with detectable levels of hearing loss in the United States and an entire ninety percent of deaf kids are born to two fully hearing parents. (NIDCD) Therefore, it may be possible that a large portion of society views deafness as a disability due to the lack of background knowledge on Deaf culture.
Though some of the hearing community might take on an unknowingly negative approach on deafness due to a lack of knowledge, for those in the deaf community, their hearing loss is not a burden or a disability, but instead an important component of their identity and culture (Sanger-Katz). Many see being deaf as a positive attribute (Sanger-Katz). The motto belonging to the deaf community is “the deaf can do anything but hear” (“Deaf, not I...
The disparity between the Deaf and hearing is based around ableism, or a newer notion, Audism. Audism is the notion that those that can hear are superior. (Oberholtzer, 2009) Like most that are viewed as inferior, the Deaf are often looked at as lesser compared to those of the hearing community and labeled as disabled, even if they themselves do not view their deafness as a disability. Many of Deaf community members are able to hear and speak well enough to communicate with hearing people but still chose to identify with the Deaf community rather than in the hearing world. (Harlan, 1996) One’s involvement does not center around their hearing
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to PBS home video “Through Deaf Eyes,” there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing (Hott, Garey & et al., 2007) . Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are over ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents. Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class.” The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture.
The current hypothesis is that one of my genes is a mutated gene, that mutated gene is what is causing my hearing loss. If this is the real reason why I have hearing loss, there is also worry for what other problems does this mutated gene cause. With finding a mutated gene, they will most likely be able to predict how much worse my hearing will get. Another possible but not likely cause is a tumor, currently, I have to get an MRI to make sure that there is no growth inside of my head. If there is a growth, that will lead to some serious issues. The last possible cause is that loud noises have damaged my hearing, but it is even more less likely than a tumor. I am almost never exposed to loud music, concerts, or anything of that nature, which would causes hearing loss. Since I've been losing hearing since I was 5, they have practically ruled that one out because it makes no
The deaf community does not see their hearing impairment as a disability but as a culture which includes a history of discrimination, racial prejudice, and segregation. According to an online transcript,“Through Deaf Eyes” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007) there are thirty-five million Americans that are hard of hearing. Out of the thirty-five million an estimated 300,000 people are completely deaf. There are ninety percent of deaf people who have hearing parents (Halpern, C., 1996). Also, most deaf parents have hearing children. With this being the exemplification, deaf people communicate on a more intimate and significant level with hearing people all their lives. “Deaf people can be found in every ethnic group, every region, and every economic class” (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007). The deaf culture and hard of hearing have plenty of arguments and divisions with living in a hearing world without sound however, that absence will be a starting point of an identity within their culture as well as the hearing culture (Weta and Florentine films/Hott productions Inc., 2007).
Some teenagers are not affected by hearing issue due to following safety rules. The claim only affects people who listens to music too loud. The qualifiers "One in five," shows that there are exceptions to author's claim.
Provided with the viewpoints on both the medical model and social model of disability, it is clear that these two concepts differ in terms of the definition of disability as well as the attitude of society towards people with disabilities. It is evident that people with disabilities veer towards the social model rather than the medical model. It is essential to acknowledge that Deafness is categorised as a medical disability within the individual as well as a societal disability, as society is not equipped enough to deal with the communication barriers that stem from hearing impairments.
Being hearing-impaired is something I have dealt with my entire life; by the time I was five years old, putting on hearing aids in the morning was just as normal as brushing my teeth. As a result of a supportive family and friends, I never believed that being hearing-impaired should limit my success in any way.
For this assignment, our class was instructed to spend two to three days with impaired hearing. To do this, I obtained some regular green foam ear plugs and wore them while going about my daily routine. The plugs gave me a decent 30dB loss in my “mid” and “upper” frequencies. At first, I did not see how it would be possible to walk around with ear plugs in all day. I started to think what my other instructors would think, but being an audio arts and acoustics major, most hardly batted an eye. Truthfully, I thought I would put my plugs in when I wanted to jot notes down for my journal, but that was not the case. My ears became acclimated to the loss and I could keep them in for most the day. The purpose of this exercise was to reinforce the point our professor had been teaching us all semester; living with hearing impairment is possible, but incredibly challenging.